They call them ambulance chasers — attorneys who show up at the scene of an accident to try to drum up business.
Now it’s happening online and the target is you in the emergency room.
Digital ambulance chasing, World Cup Scams and more in this week’s scam alert.
Watch here:
Ads at the ER
Heading to the emergency room?
You and your family may get a visit from a lawyer — as you’re lying on the hospital bed.
NPR reports some law firms are setting up geofencing, like a digital line, around hospitals to find out when you and your phone go inside.
Then, they’ll start sending you and your family ads on your phones to try to get you to hire them as personal injury attorneys.
Some marketers call it geoconquesting.
And you’re the one they’re conquering.
This kind of digital “ambulance chasing” is causing come controversy.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey told NPR, “Private medical information should not be exploited in this way. Especially when it’s gathered secretly without a consumer’s knowledge, without knowledge or consent.”
Some law firms are setting up geofencing to find out when you’re in the hospital & target you with ads, according to NPR. Image credit: Archer News
Holding You Hostage
Attackers hit more banks, this time in Canada.
Reports say cyber crooks masqueraded as customers and got inside the banks’ systems.
Like the movie “Inside Man,” they’re holding hostages — not customers, but customers’ personal information.
They claim to have names, account numbers, passwords, security questions and answers and more for almost one hundred thousand people.
The CBC says the hackers are demanding $1 million in ransom from the Bank of Montreal and online bank Simplii Financial.
If they don’t get the ransom, they plan to release that private info to the world so other criminals can attack and drain people’s accounts, the CBC said.
Last month, cyber crooks stole millions from banks in Mexico.
In Ecuador, cyber invaders snatched $12 million from a bank in 2015.
Attackers are demanding $1 million ransom to not release personal data for almost 100,000 Bank of Montreal & Simplii Financial customers, according to the CBC. Image credit: Google Maps
World Cup Scams
Buzz is building for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Cyber criminals hope you’ll get caught up in the excitement and fall for their scams.
Kaspersky Lab describes some of the tricks the crooks are using, including ads for souvenirs and merchandise, messages saying you need to update your accounts and cheap game tickets and flights to World Cup cities.
You could lose money, your credit card number, your passwords and more.
An example of a World Cup fake password reset message, according to Kaspersky Lab. Image credit: Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky says you can stay safe with things like this:
—Buy tickets from the official FIFA website and ticket offices only
—Use a separate credit card for buying stuff online and set a limit
—Don’t click on links or attachments in emails from people you don’t know
—Never buying anything advertised in spam
Examples of merchandise phishing messages from Kaspersky Lab. Image credit: Kaspersky Lab
Robot Dog Funerals
It hurts when your pet passes away.
But what about your robot pet?
In Japan, computer canines get a funeral. With a priest. At a temple.
The Japan Times reports the company A-Fun Co. sends off Sony’s Aibo robot dogs this way.
Aibo robot dog. Image credit: A-Fun
A-Fun harvests the non-functional dogs for parts but gives the electronic pets a funeral ceremony first.
The newspaper says some dog owners wrote emotional messages like, “I feel relieved to know there will be a prayer for my Aibo,” and, “Please help other Aibos. Tears rose in my eyes when I decided to say goodbye.”
See other scam alerts:
Scam Alert #18 — Sin City security & BMWs hacked
Scam Alert #17 — Bank sneakers & hacker arrests
Scam Alert #16 — Plant takeovers & face tracking
See more Scam Alerts here at Archer News.
Main image: Hospital monitor. Image credit: Archer News